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History of Hesperian

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a group of health activists in Ajoya, Mexico compiled a notebook of treatment information for common medical problems in their village. The notebook came into great demand not only in Ajoya, but also among health workers from neighboring communities. In 1973, the notebook was reproduced as a comprehensive and revolutionary health-care manual titled Donde no hay doctor (Where There Is No Doctor).

Around this time, the organization that would later be called the Hesperian Foundation was founded in California to distribute the book and begin work on an English edition. Where There Is No Doctor was first published in 1977 and is now considered by many to be the "bible" of primary health care for community health workers and villagers in poor countries around the world.

Joining the chorus of ‘Health for All’ which emerged with the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978, Hesperian has spent the last 30 years building on the successful model of Where There Is No Doctor to create resources which are practical and effective for community empowerment. Just as the first edition of Where There Is No Doctor was informed by the needs of rural villages in Mexico, subsequent publications addressing women’s health, children’s health, HIV, health worker training, environmental health, disability, and other topics have been developed collaboratively with extensive input and field testing from groups and individuals working in poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.